After chapel last Tuesday, The Stampede held a mock election, setting up voting booths at the cafe and the Grill. Students were given the option of voting for one of four candidates: Hillary Clinton (Democrat), Gary Johnson (Libertarian), Jill Stein (Green) or Donald Trump (Republican). Of these choices, the 88 student participants voted overwhelmingly in favor of Trump.
In general, Tennessee is not considered a swing state, although its recent voting history has been unpredictable and competitive. In the 1996 presidential election, for example, President Bill Clinton won the state by a mere 2.4 percent of the popular vote over his rival, and President George W. Bush won by only 3.8 percent in 2000.
So, how shocking is it that Trump led by 21.6 percent of student votes in this mock election?
The answer? Not very. Over the course of the past few elections, the Republican Party has taken a definite hold on the Volunteer State–in the 2012 election, Republican Senator Mitt Romney led by a similar 20.4 percent over President Barack Obama. This holds true when more recent polls of the state are taken into account, as well. The results of this poll were reported by Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) on Oct. 4, 2016:
As for national polls, an Oct. 14, 2016 poll by Rasmussen Reports shows that Clinton’s support is much higher than reported by the other polls.
Overall, these statistics stack up as follows:
According to these reports, Trump not only has a substantial lead at Milligan compared to other candidates but also compared to other, larger populations in the United States.
Still, there remains a high number of Clinton (and third party) fans in the country, and the presidential race is anything but over. In a couple of weeks on Nov. 8, citizens will go to the polls–and those numbers will really reveal what’s next for our country and its presidency.
Students can stay updated on the 2016 election by following The Stampede on Twitter (@MCStampede) and by visiting the website at